Legislation -
Referred to Committee
(Senate)
-
March 5, 2013

Legislation -
Bill Passed
(House)
(116-49) -
March 4, 2013(Key vote)

Vote Result

Yea Votes

Nay Votes

Vote to pass a bill that expands the requirements for an employer to verify an employee's immigration status and the definition of public benefits, effective July 1, 2013.

Highlights:

Requires an individual who applies for the renewal of a business license, occupational tax certification, or other document required for the operation of a business to submit the same federal work authorization user number used for the initial application (Sec. 4).

Amends the definition of “physical performance of services” to mean any performance of labor or services for a public employer using a bidding process or by contract where the cost of the labor or services is more than $2,499.99, whereas existing law does not specify a monetary amount in the definition (Sec. 1).

Requires the policies regarding postsecondary education of agencies and political subdivisions of the state to comply with federal immigration laws (Sec. 6).

Requires a public benefits applicant to submit at least 1 “secure and verifiable document” or a copy of the document and an affidavit verifying the applicant’s legal presence in the United States under federal immigration law within 9 months prior to the application for public benefits (Sec. 6).

Expands the definition of “public benefit” to include grants, homestead exemptions, public and assisted housing, retirement benefits, state issued driver’s licenses, and tax credits (Sec. 6).

Specifies that a “secure and verifiable document” does not include foreign passports or birth certificates unless the passport or birth certificate is submitted with federal documents that specify the individual’s lawful presence in the United States under federal immigration law (Sec. 7).

Note:

NOTE: THIS IS A SUBSTITUTE BILL, MEANING THE LANGUAGE OF THE ORIGINAL BILL HAS BEEN REPLACED. THE DEGREE TO WHICH THE SUBSTITUTE BILL TEXT DIFFERS FROM THE PREVIOUS VERSION OF THE TEXT CAN VARY GREATLY.